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“There were a few hard rules, but everybody was unique, and he understood that. George’s great strength was he didn’t overcoach. There’s no place for panic on the mound.” - Jim Palmer on George Bamberger “Arms and the man,” Sports Illustrated, April 19, 2004

It's been done about 90 times. It used to be a lot rarer, but Sale is the third pitcher to do it this season. There were four pitchers who did it last year. There were eight in 2017. More than a third of of the MLB immaculate innings have been recorded since 2010. I don't know if much was made of it when Thomas Pannone did it against the Rays in April.

Obviously, the list was a lot shorter and more impressive when I was reading the record book when I was a kid and Sandy Koufax stood out as having done it three times. When I saw White Sox pitcher Joe Henderson get two three-pitch strike outs in a 1974 game against the Twins and go 0-2 on Eric Soderholm, I was disappointed that the ninth pitch was a ball.

It's been done about 90 times. It used to be a lot rarer, but Sale is the third pitcher to do it this season. There were four pitchers who did it last year. There were eight in 2017. More than a third of of the MLB immaculate innings have been recorded since 2010. I don't know if much was made of it when Thomas Pannone did it against the Rays in April.

Obviously, the list was a lot shorter and more impressive when I was reading the record book when I was a kid and Sandy Koufax stood out as having done it three times. When I saw White Sox pitcher Joe Henderson get two three-pitch strike outs in a 1974 game against the Twins and go 0-2 on Eric Soderholm, I was disappointed that the ninth pitch was a ball.

How far back do records stretch on the immaculate inning though? I could see writers or other people noticing it as far back as the '60s but I can't imagine many people were paying attention to it in the '30s or back when Christy Mathewson was pitching.

How far back do records stretch on the immaculate inning though? I could see writers or other people noticing it as far back as the '60s but I can't imagine many people were paying attention to it in the '30s or back when Christy Mathewson was pitching.

The list in my old Sporting News baseball records book (Hoyt Wilhelm holding on hour glass on the eventually torn cover) went back to the nineteenth century, but that list was shorter than it would be for the last decade. Striking out the side on nine pitches was always considered a special feat. It was more impressive when hitters placed a higher priority on not striking out. Baseball Retrosheet might have a list, but I haven't visited that site in a couple of years.